


The Escape

by dragonwings948



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: (THEY ARE A FAMILY FIGHT ME), Action/Adventure, Cuddling & Snuggling, Escape, Family, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Feels, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Love, Memories, Pictures, Platonic Cuddling, Sad, Shippy, Surprise Kissing, Team Bonding, Team Fluff, Team as Family, yeah this fic is a rollercoaster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25500199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwings948/pseuds/dragonwings948
Summary: The Doctor, Charley, and C'rizz are in a race against the clock. Can they work together and escape in time?
Relationships: Charley Pollard & C'rizz, Eighth Doctor & Charley Pollard, Eighth Doctor & Charley Pollard & C'rizz, Eighth Doctor/Charley Pollard
Comments: 22
Kudos: 16





	The Escape

**Author's Note:**

> Uh....wow. This fic started out as one idea and then became several ideas. I honestly have no idea what happened to it. So...have fun I guess??

_“Ten minutes until ultimate destruction.”_

The booming, threatening voice pealed on like a tolling bell inside the Doctor’s head. He looked at the scattered pieces of information in front of him and ran a hand through his hair. It wasn’t enough.

“Charley? Have you finished searching the desk yet?” he called over his shoulder.

“Almost!”

“Have you found anything?”

“Nothing. I think we found all the clues the first time.”

The Doctor huffed a short breath and strode to the other side of the room where Charley was on her knees, rifling through papers in a desk drawer.

“Have you looked? _Really_ looked?”

Charley cast him a withering glance before returning to her task. “No, I’ve just been tossing them all aside without seeing anything on them,” she replied, sarcasm saturating her tone.

“Charley, this is no time to—“

“I’ve got something!”

The Doctor spun around. Sticking out from the doorway of a closet was C’rizz’s arm as he waved a scrap of paper in his hand. The Doctor rushed over to him and snatched the parchment from his fingers.

“It’s part of a letter that’s been burnt.”

“I could have told you that,” C’rizz muttered. He emerged from the closet with a piece of sparkly purple gift tissue paper balanced on his head. The Doctor assumed he couldn’t feel it because of his lack of skin sensitivity—he did have an exoskeleton, after all—but found that with the world in danger, he didn’t have time to tell C’rizz about his new accessory.

The Doctor scanned over the note in his hand. The phrases were fragmented, some words missing due to the scorch marks. Still, it took him only a moment to intake the new information and sigh, shaking his head.

“There’s nothing new. All it does is mention Catherine again.”

Charley rose to her feet with a grunt and jogged over to the Doctor. “Let me see it.” But before she could take the paper, her eyes focused on C’rizz. She pressed her lips together, but a chortle forced its way through her mouth. The Doctor partially tuned her and C’rizz out as he continued to study the paper for any clues.

“What’s so amusing?” C’rizz asked.

Still trying not to smile, Charley tapped her head. “You’ve got something…”

C’rizz reached up, his eyes widening as his fingers closed around the gift paper. It crinkled under his grasp and he looked at it in horror as if it was some sort of sinister monster. “What is it?”

“Some sort of wrapping paper, it looks like.” She smiled. “I like the sparkles. We don’t have that where I come from.”

“What do you do with it?”

“We can discuss traditional Earth customs later, when we don’t have seven minutes and thirty-two seconds to live,” the Doctor said, surfacing from his thoughts. He hadn’t come up with anything conclusive.

“Here. I’ll take a look.” Charley plucked the paper from his grasp, her lips slightly puckering and her brow wrinkling as she read the snatches of phrases. “Miss my girl…devote all my work…loves those cats…wanted to be called…” She let out a long sigh and frowned.

“So what do we know?” C’rizz asked, letting the wrapping paper fall to the ground. “Catherine was the professor’s daughter and he was completely devoted to her. We’ve found several clues alluding to her, but her name isn’t the password to get into the computer.”

“I’ve tried it forwards, backwards, capitalised, and lowercase.” The Doctor racked his brain. The answer had to be staring them in the face. His twin heartbeats thrummed in his ears, reminding him that they had precious little time left.

“Wait!” Charley gasped, holding the paper back up. “Kitty!”

“What?” C’rizz asked.

“There’s something in here that says someone, presumably Catherine, loves cats, and then it says she wants to be called something.”

_“And?”_

Charley looked to the Doctor. “You know? Like _Pride and Prejudice.”_ She began to talk faster as she explained. “One of the Bennet sisters is named Catherine, only everyone calls her—”

“Kitty!” the Doctor finished. He ran over to the plain, grey table where the computer and all of their compiled clues sat. He sensed Charley and C’rizz at his back as he leaned over the keyboard and quickly keyed in the name “Kitty.”

He felt the whole world hold its breath as the computer processed.

 _“Yes!”_ Charley exclaimed as the desktop loaded.

“There.” C’rizz’s hand came into view as he stabbed a finger at a folder entitled “keycodes.”

“We’re so close,” Charley whispered, her voice charged with enthusiasm.

The Doctor selected the folder and watched multiple files drop down.

“That’s not fair!”

The Doctor could picture Charley’s expression to go with her disappointed tone, a stark contrast from her excitement only a moment ago.

“How are we supposed to try _all_ of those?” C’rizz asked.

_“Five minutes until ultimate destruction.”_

The room was silent for a moment following the announcement of imminent doom.

“We’re not meant to try them at random,” the Doctor said after a moment. "Remember, if we get the code wrong, the missile goes off.” He scrolled through the files. “Look, colours. They’re all named after different colours.” He looked up and did a sweep of the room with his eyes. “Clues! We need more clues!”

C’rizz started to match the shade of the table as he shuffled through the collected pile of evidence next to the computer. Charley ran off, meticulously searching every inch of the room.

“Hurry, Charley,” the Doctor called as he scanned through the computer, looking for anything else that could be a help. Yet it seemed that the few other documents he could access were all just red herrings, things they’d already dismissed long ago. They were only one step away, so close…

“Give me a minute, I’ve only just started!”

“We don’t have a minute! Any second now that missile is going to launch and destroy the entire city, including us. ”

The Doctor felt C’rizz’s look more than he actually saw it. Charley’s face crumpled into worry and she hastened her search.

The Doctor glanced at C’rizz, who had frozen completely and was staring at the Doctor. More than anything, it was his rather strange colouring of mottled brown and yellow that gave off an air of confusion.

“Keep looking, C’rizz,” the Doctor said, turning back to the computer.

“Why?” C’rizz let all the information they’d gathered fall to the table. “You can’t speak to Charlotte like that when this is all just—”

_“Two minutes until ultimate destruction.”_

The Doctor gave him a look, letting the announcement speak for itself. With a resigned sigh, C’rizz picked the pile of evidence up again, going through it slowly.

Charley ran back up to the Doctor, breathless. “We’ve already scoured the place clean. I couldn’t find anything else. Well, except C’rizz’s hat.” She leaned over and placed the gift tissue back on his head with a bright smile. C’rizz rolled his eyes, but his lips twitched at the corners.

“Oh, well at least I’m wearing a fashion accessory if we’re all going to die,” he said with mock bitterness.

_“One minute until ultimate destruction. Fifty-nine, fifty-eight, fifty-seven…”_

“Wonderful, there’s even a countdown.” C’rizz threw his arms in the air helplessly.

“Now just wait a moment. While there’s life there’s—” But the Doctor stopped, because he was looking at C’rizz with the wrapping paper on his head. The very _purple_ wrapping paper, standing out starkly amidst the general bleakness of the room.

The Doctor grinned. “C’rizz!” He grabbed him by the shoulders, making the gift tissue fall off his head and flutter to the ground, and exuberantly pulled him forward to kiss his forehead.

“Doctor?” C’rizz asked, his voice cracking with a mixture of surprise and disgust.

Charley giggled. “Don’t worry, C’rizz, you’ll get used to that.”

He swiped his forearm over his head. “I certainly hope not.”

But the Doctor was already back at the computer, typing into the file search bar. “Now if I just…” He hit enter and a single file showed up, labelled “Keycode Purple.” He quickly accessed it and then ran to the door, sliding onto his knees so he could get a better view of the keypad underneath the handle.

_“Ten, nine, eight…”_

“Read me the numbers in the file!”

_“Seven, six, five…”_

Charley’s voice rang out clearly: “Oh five, fourteen, ninety-five.”

_“Four, three, two…”_

The Doctor’s fingers shook as he began typing in the code. _Zero five…_

_“One.”_

_One four…_

_“Zero.”_

_Nine five._

The Doctor swore under his breath, curling his hands into fists. A rumbling sound came from the speakers, so loud it shook the entire room.

“Doctor!” Charley yelled accusingly. “You let the missile go off!”

The Doctor sighed, rising to his feet. “Yes, yes, I know, Charley, I’m sorry.”

A quick tap sounded on the locked door. The Doctor took a step back to allow the door to swing open. A stocky, heavyset young man in a black polo with a patch that read _Epic Escape Rooms_ walked into the room.

“Looks like you were just one second too late. I have to hand it to you, though, most folks don’t even make it that far.”

“See, Doctor?” C’rizz said, coming to stand by his side. “We did well enough.”

“But we didn’t win,” sighed the Doctor.

Charley walked over to his other side and nudged his arm. “You ‘win’ at escaping almost every day.”

“Besides, you can always try one of our other rooms!” the employee suggested enthusiastically.

“No,” C’rizz said quickly. “I think we’re done.”

The man shrugged. “Well, how’s about a picture, then?”

* * *

“This is perfect!” Charley exclaimed, holding up their photo in the sunlight.

“I still can’t believe that humans create these scenarios for _fun.”_

“Not everyone has the choice of the life we lead, C’rizz.” The Doctor strode proudly toward the TARDIS, having recovered his spirits somewhat. “The need for danger, a rush of adrenaline—it’s part of being human. Which reminds me of our next destination…”

They reached the TARDIS, perfectly spaced in a car’s parking spot. As soon as he was inside the Doctor leaped to the console, flipped the door control, and piloted the time and space machine into deep space.

C’rizz yawned. “I think I’m going to need a rest before we go to this—what did you call it?—amusement park?”

Charley yawned as well, covering her mouth with her hand. “I’m with C’rizz. I think I could do with a lie down by the fire in the library.”

“I’ll go with you. I might read for a bit before I fall asleep.” C’rizz began walking toward the corridor and Charley followed him.

“Charley?” the Doctor called.

She paused and turned back around, a question in her eyes. “Yes, Doctor?”

“May I have the photo?”

Charley walked over to him and held it out tentatively. “As long as you won’t lose it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” He took it gently from her grasp as if it was the most precious thing in the universe and slid it into an inner coat pocket. “I’ll take very good care of it, I promise.”

Charley paused, clearly having more to say. She met his eyes. “Doctor, you…you _did_ have fun, didn’t you? You said that was the most important thing.”

“Of course I did. You two were brilliant—I couldn’t have asked for a better escape team.”

Charley’s eyes lit up the way they always did when he complimented her. It was a look that made the Doctor swell with a mixture of pride and hope and—something else he still didn’t quite understand.

But the “something else” feeling was very clearly taking him over, because he stepped forward, taking Charley’s arm, and delicately kissed her forehead. When he pulled away, he was fairly certain that Charley’s cheeks were a slightly deeper shade of red than before.

“You don’t need to kiss people to tell them thank you, you know. You could just say the words.” She gripped his sleeve delicately and her fingers stroked across the velvet almost like an afterthought. “C’rizz would certainly appreciate that.”

The Doctor huffed a brief laugh, recalling the Eutermesan’s expression following his surprise kiss of appreciation. He hadn’t really had time to take it in while in the middle of it all.

But the kiss he had just given Charley—that had been of a completely different kind. Surely she’d realised that?

A memory flashed through his mind: their mouths pressing together as they merged into one being. That had been through sheer necessity. Other times, he _had_ kissed Charley out of pure appreciation. But what would it feel like to kiss her— _really_ kiss her—just because he wanted to?

The Doctor cleared his throat and scattered his thoughts, instantly recalling Charley’s last comment. “I’ll consider it. Now go get some sleep.” He smiled at her. “Goodnight, Charley.”

She pressed his arm gently and returned the smile. “Goodnight, Doctor.” She held his gaze for a moment longer before turning away and following C’rizz’s path into the TARDIS corridors.

The Doctor let out a silent sigh as he watched Charley go. He wanted to think about what had just happened in his brain, but at the same time he really _didn’t_ want to think about it, so instead he dove into his usual avoidance technique: tinkering with the TARDIS.

It was only an hour later that the Doctor straightened himself up and put his coat back on after having made some minor adjustments to the TARDIS navigation system, cleared up the picture on the scanner, and toyed around with the chameleon circuit, just to see what would happen. (Nothing, of course, like usual. The Old Girl was stubborn—not that he minded.)

He made his way out of the console room with measured steps. He stopped by the library and poked his head in to see Charley and C’rizz cuddled up in the corner of the couch, fast asleep and gently snoring. C’rizz had a protective arm curled around Charley while she leaned comfortably back against him. For a moment, the Doctor allowed himself to dwell on the importance of the sight in front of him. Human and Eutermesan, two completely different species—two completely different _universes—_ at home here. Trusting one another. Loving one another.

The Doctor smiled to himself and let them be, continuing further into the TARDIS. It took several minutes for him to reach the right room; the TARDIS knew he didn’t want just anyone finding their way in. But he had no trouble. The door swooshed open automatically and lights within flickered to life. The Doctor strolled inside and gazed at the long, seemingly infinite wall of photographs.

The Doctor was absorbed by memories as he passed the old faces—some of them his own— staring at him from out of the past. Eventually the pictures stopped, but the wall kept going. The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the photo from the escape room, sticking it right onto the wall. He stepped back and took a moment to study it.

Charley was on the right side, wearing a wide grin and holding up a sign that said “Losers.” On the other side was himself, holding an arrow pointing toward C’rizz that said: “I blame it on him.” And in the middle was, of course, C’rizz, proudly standing between them with his skin mimicking the sparkly purple gift tissue that had nearly won them the game.

The Doctor grinned and chuckled. He touched the edge of the photo, getting a slight sense of premonition. How many of his future selves would come here and look at this very photo? How many of them would forget the way Charley’s laugh sounded, the way C’rizz beamed when he got a new colour change down?

He let his hand fall. _Focus on the present,_ humans liked to say. _There’s nothing you can do about the future._

But he was a time lord. And considering a future without Charley or C’rizz…

It was no future at all.

**Author's Note:**

> I've used the "TARDIS picture room" idea in a few of my fics, and I always give credit to my friend [Jellymish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jellymish/profile) for that because it's an old headcanon of his that I've always adored. 
> 
> And more credit is due to [LadyofLothal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyofLothal/profile) and [bravest_person_in_Wonderland](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bravest_person_in_Wonderland/works) for making sure this idea wasn't totally weird and offering thoughts about characterisation and such. Thanks friends! :)


End file.
